"The Sunday was a cold one, ten degrees below zero, and some of our leading members were camping out on their way with food supply from Minot, sixty miles north over a trackless waste of snow. One Monday morning Andrew Crow came in on horseback, with the result of the previous evening's contribution. We get little change here, so we put down the amount to be given on paper, and settle the account as we can by exchanges or work. We do not have many unpaid subscriptions."
Such facts as these abundantly prove that our Indian Christians are realizing the responsibility upon them to assist with their means in these great missionary movements. If all the churches in the land would give according to their ability as generously as did this Indian church on the prairie, not one of our benevolent societies would need suffer.
THE CHINESE.
"THE PRESENT DISTRESS."
BY REV. W.C. POND, D.D.
It is everywhere, and if in our little corner we feel the first impulse to murmur, we hear, forthwith, from the great apostle: "There hath no trial taken you but such as is common to man." And yet the trial is none the less severe, the distress is none the less intense, because it is universal. It may be that "misery likes company," though I could never see why, but in this instance I can truly say, would that we suffered alone!
I foresaw almost six months ago that the universal stringency would bring us an empty treasury long before the close of our fiscal year. It seemed due in justice to our workers to forewarn them of this. I told
them that I would do my best for them, but that for the months of June, July and August this might amount to nothing; that I was not allowed, and ought not to be, to use the resources of the new year to meet any deficits from the old one, and that I was under solemn pledge to one of our chief benefactors never to let the mission run in debt. Consequently I could not and would not blame them if they ceased work and closed the schools. I am proud to say that not one teacher was found to accept my proposal. One of them wrote: "I am very sorry you are so short of funds. I feel sure that